A Canadian man mistakenly cleared of attempted murder when the jury foreman coughed as he read the verdict is scheduled to get a new trial.

The judge at the original trial in 1997 thought the foreman had said “not guilty” and told Howard Burke to go free.

But Burke was arrested later the same day after jurors told a court officer they had intended to convict him.

The verdict was reversed five days later. Burke, 42, had been serving a 12-year prison term.

A city council member from Colombia could be fined for mooning his colleagues during a meeting.

A disciplinary hearing in Bogota found Leo Cesar Diago guilty of showing disrespect to the council when he decided to drop his pants during a heated discussion.

Witnesses said he exposed his buttocks as a protest against government accusations that local politicians are overpaid.

A British man ran naked down a street trying to catch a burglar who had stolen his car.

Alex Dunn, 42, jumped out of bed and ran outside to see his beloved Mercedes disappearing down the road. He said he didn’t have time to go back inside and get dressed, so he decided to give chase in the nude.

Dunn said he ran after the car for 50 yards before losing it. When Dunn returned home, he discovered his computer, cell phone and credit cards had also been stolen.

A polite Japanese criminal asked a shop worker if he could rob him – then apologized for the inconvenience.

The gray-haired robber, thought to be in his 50s, walked into the store and pulled out a knife, authorities said. He then went over to the assistant manager and said, “Excuse me, I’m terribly sorry but my company has gone bankrupt.”